What? Are you serious? Sizzling Balut? So went our collective gasps as Ate Vivian started laying out to us what we should order at her restaurant in Alaminos City. We just came from Tambobong White Beach and stayed at the R Paradise Beach Resort, one which is also owned by Ate V. She vehemently told us that we must drop by her bistro grill before proceeding to Dagupan City.

And so we did, we’d never turn down an invitation to dine especially since we didn’t have no breakfast yet.

Ate V’s Bistro Grill & Eatery is located at San Jose Drive, one of the main thoroughfares of Alaminos City. It caters mostly to the employees working at the nearby hospital. But that doesn’t mean it’s one of your typical cafeteria, serving the usual carinderia dishes.

The place has a very tropical feel with its organically-shaped wooden chairs and tables, bamboo walls and sawali ceilings. There’s no air-conditioning but the place feels airy enough. I asked Ate V about a particular lamp I found interesting, and she proudly said that she designed it herself; she’s a jack-of-all-trades like that.

After scanning the menu at Ate V’s Bistro Grill & Eatery, I concluded that everything seemed to match well with beer. And with that, bottles were immediately taken out of the fridge as the first of our orders arrived; Pangasinan’s famous Pigar-Pigar (Php150.00).

While it’s my first time to encounter this dish, a mix of stir-fried cabbages, onions and carabeef. I immediately got to like it. I find it somehow similar to the Tagalog’s Bistek, only with veggies and carabeef instead of beef.

Next is their Tapang Kalabaw (Php150.00). I was expecting this one to be a bit hardy, since it is buff meat, but was surprised to find it quite tender. It is very similar to the previous dish, only without the veggies. This one goes well with fried rice.

Then there’s the staple beer buddy, the Sizzling Pork Sisig (Php120.00). My measure of a perfect sizzling sisig is through the crispness of its meat. Sadly, the sisig at Ate V’s is of the Pampanga type, which is fattier than the usual kind we eat in Manila. Nevertheless, it was still good, although not really my type.

And last, but definitely not the least, Ate V’s Sizzling Balut. I haven’t seen anything like this dish anywhere! I normally don’t eat balut, I’m more of a penoy person; but who can resist having a taste of this? The sauce is somewhat similar to that of Pigar Pigar and combined with the balut meat, it’s actually very buttery.

Ate V’s signature dishes are definitely a must try if ever you find yourself in Alaminos City.